The fillibuster
I have rarely been this pissed off at the republicans, and I have often been pissed at the republicans.
First, bush nominates the most nutball judges he can find to lifetime posts on the federal judiciary. Then, the nominees get shot down because they are absolutely insane, and the Orrin Hatch judiciary committee knows no compromise, causing a filliubster. Then, Bush renominates the insane assholes again, knowing that the acceptability level of the group has hardly waxed. Then, facing an almost certain fillibuster on the issue, Bill Frist (quickly becoming my least favorite senator) threatens a set of bizarre parliamentary maneuvers amounting to having the chair openly ignore the Senate debate rules, and having the majority rubberstamp this avoidance of the rules, thus closing debate, and forcing a vote on the issue.
That's all well and good, so long as there wasn't blatant hypocracy on this from all ends on this issue. Judicial fillibusters have certainly been tried and (in the case of Abe Fortas's nomination to the SC by LBJ in 1968) even successful. Frist even attempted a judicial fillibuster back, as Tom tomorrow says, in prehistoric times, when the caveman tribe that eventually became the United States federal government was led by a barbarian known only as CLIN-TON. Also keep in mind that this barbarian leader had a great multitude of his judicial nominees not only not recieve frist's treasured 'up or down vote', but not even one single fucking hearing in the judiciary committee, thanks to the bold post 1994 leadership in the senate. Then, the republicans even would openly say that the nominees weren't being blocked for any reason other than the fact that if the judgeships were left vacant, then a future republican president could make them. The likes of Jesse Helms (R-Hell), openly said this.
anyway, long story short, this whole thing has me frustrated at the direction of my country. That and the open hostility toward science that seems to be developing.
First, bush nominates the most nutball judges he can find to lifetime posts on the federal judiciary. Then, the nominees get shot down because they are absolutely insane, and the Orrin Hatch judiciary committee knows no compromise, causing a filliubster. Then, Bush renominates the insane assholes again, knowing that the acceptability level of the group has hardly waxed. Then, facing an almost certain fillibuster on the issue, Bill Frist (quickly becoming my least favorite senator) threatens a set of bizarre parliamentary maneuvers amounting to having the chair openly ignore the Senate debate rules, and having the majority rubberstamp this avoidance of the rules, thus closing debate, and forcing a vote on the issue.
That's all well and good, so long as there wasn't blatant hypocracy on this from all ends on this issue. Judicial fillibusters have certainly been tried and (in the case of Abe Fortas's nomination to the SC by LBJ in 1968) even successful. Frist even attempted a judicial fillibuster back, as Tom tomorrow says, in prehistoric times, when the caveman tribe that eventually became the United States federal government was led by a barbarian known only as CLIN-TON. Also keep in mind that this barbarian leader had a great multitude of his judicial nominees not only not recieve frist's treasured 'up or down vote', but not even one single fucking hearing in the judiciary committee, thanks to the bold post 1994 leadership in the senate. Then, the republicans even would openly say that the nominees weren't being blocked for any reason other than the fact that if the judgeships were left vacant, then a future republican president could make them. The likes of Jesse Helms (R-Hell), openly said this.
anyway, long story short, this whole thing has me frustrated at the direction of my country. That and the open hostility toward science that seems to be developing.
posted by Valatan @ 10:12 PM
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